Birdman: Following The Superhero Actor’s Trajectory - at JIMSULLIVANINK.com

I had expected Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman to be a little on the nose as far as following the career of Michael Keaton. I was pleasantly surprised to find out this was not the case. Keaton has continued to act and be successful since his Batman of 1986, and remains a respected and relevant actor even if not as active as he once was. Keaton plays Riggan Thompson, once famous for his roles inBirdman I, II & III (presumably things went down hill for Riggan when he refused to cash in on the opportunity to do Birdman IV — analogue to the Batman franchise and the Schumacher bombasts to follow the gritty Tim Burton Dark Knight interpretation. Riggan finds himself struggling to stay in the spotlight on Broadway, producing, directing and starring in his own play “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver.

Another superhero movie actor, (arguably three, all told) stars in the film, Edward Norton. Norton’s own relationship with his Marvel superhero, The Incredible Hulk (2008) is complex as he was replaced unceremoniously by Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers (2012). Norton’s arrogance off screen is perhaps a reason he was replaced, and here in Birdman he plays a well known stage actor Mike Shiner, struggling to inject realism on the stage playing opposite his girlfriend Lesley (Naomi Watts). Shiner drinks real gin on stage, throws tantrums and is just a real dick to everyone. Perhaps it is because he can’t get it up!

Zach Galifianakis plays Riga’s agent and astraight man this time around. As comic artist Ray Hueston in HBO’s Bored to Death, he played the alter ego of Super Ray — a hero that can fight with his enlarged penis!

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LEGO MOVIE: FUN FOR THE WHOLE FREAKING FAMILY - JIMSULLIVANINK.COM

My first for legendary Boston journalist Jim SullivanInk.com!

I received three texts from my girlfriend telling me that “Awesome,” the Tegan and Sara song from The LEGO Movie has been stuck in her head all day: “Everything Is Awesome!!!” And I streamed the song a few times today (Sara Quin told Billboard:“Whether you think it’s funny or annoying, there’s no denying that it’s a ridiculously hooky thing,”

So we went to the movie. The LEGO Movie itself is awesome, bricking together generations of builders, movie stars and imagination for a truly all ages movie to be enjoyed by all.

The prologue features god-like Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman, perhaps reviving his holy Evan Almighty role) facing down an evil and maniacal President Business/Lord Business (the always funny Will Ferrell). They speak of the prophecy, where one MasterBuilder will one day stop the evil tyrant from making permanent changes to the world of LEGO with his many tentacled Kragle gun.

Next we cut to everyman, our faithful builder Emmet Brickowkski (Chris Pratt, star of Parks and Recreation and the upcoming Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy). Emmet heads to work, where he follows President Builder’s instructions for his city of Bricksburg, singing (literally) all day, the theme song, “Everything Is Awesome!!!” before running into our strong female lead Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks). Wyldstyle’s snooping around triggers the alarms and our next big star is on the hunt for them, Badcop/Goodcop (Liam Neeson). Using the swivel head to switch from evil to nice is the typical LEGO touch, as soon as you start thinking of the bricks as people, the writers put in a clever reference to the toy parts that makes you giggle.

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